Every Song Must End
by Hattie Laraway
Summary: A new haircut, a new suit and a very old man. It's time for Darillium; the singing towers. Time to say goodbye. Because every Song must end, eventually. Because everybody dies. One shot of Darillium. Potential spoilers for all episodes so far. Twist.


Hi guys, This is a one shot thing I wrote, it was inspired by The Doctors quote in The Impossible Astronaut - 'Its okay, i know its you.'

Hope you enjoy :-) feel free to review!

_Hattie Larway ._

**Disclaimer: i do not own Doctor Who or any of the characters... **

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><p><em>"The last time I saw you, the real you — the future you, I mean — you turned up on my doorstep, with a new haircut and a suit. You took me to Darillium to see the singing towers. Oh, what a night that was! The towers sang, and you cried. You wouldn't tell me why, but I suppose you knew it was time. My time. Time to come to the Library."<em>

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><p>He had turned up. Out of the blue, without the tweed. Instead a fitted jet black suit, the bow tie, a new haircut, and a look in his eye that told her something wasn't quite right. He grabbed her hand and she ran with him, she didn't know why they ran, there was no danger, not this time. Not yet. But still they had run hand in hand, round corners and through alleys and over buildings till they reached her, the TARDIS. Then they flew.<p>

The towers weren't actually buildings; he had explained before they left. They were living breathing organisms, a beautiful species from Darillium. The planet itself was made completely of glass; it had naturally formed this way over the millennia's. Nobody knew how it had formed so perfectly, or how it was inhabitable. It was the improbable miracle. Thats why he loved it.

It was thought they once had a sun ten times larger than the planet itself, and the planet was pure liquid glass. Then one day the sun went out. The planet cooled and hardened. That's when the towers formed. Scientists believed the towers were products of the volcanoes that inhabited the hottest parts of the planet. The heat from the volcanic glass erupting was just enough heat to keep the towers living, white hot liquid glass flowing inside their bodies creating coloured patterns and shadows as they sung and danced in the light of the moons. But eventually the towers core temperature would cool. Then they would freeze for all eternity. That was how they died.

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><p>He had to take her back in time to see them; they had been officially extinct since the year 4043. Once, the azure fields of Darillium were filled with swirling, living, singing towers- aptly named Forests of the towers. But since their extinction the fields were littered with the frozen towers, the ones that could no longer sing. Visitors had renamed <em>those<em> forests; _forests of the dead_.

The songs were the ancient language of the towers; it was the way that they communicated to each other. It couldn't be translated, not even by the TARDIS. To the public their songs were just music, each note just a note. But to the towers each note was a word, a sentence, history. _Life._

The way their tall, slim, bodies weaved and intertwined with each other as they sung, she watched in awe at the last of the tangled towers, swaying and singing under the three moons of Darillium, illuminating the fields with a crimson hue. The grass was littered with couples and tourists, but there was no noise aside from the singing towers. Everyone sat content, absorbing the harmonious notes, as one by one the three moons aligned in the sky, and a curtain of coloured lights engulfed the fields.

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><p>She had told him about the library, excited about the prospects of this new mission. He didn't seem so surprised, although maybe he was used to her trips by now, or maybe this was the big one, and she had let slip in the future. She would have to remember that, spoilers. Then he had run off, disappearing down a corridor and returning minutes later with his sonic screwdriver, not just any screwdriver, <em>her doctors<em> screwdriver, he placed it in her pocket, making her promise not to lose it, she thought it strange at the time, but then life with the doctor was always strange. But it was rather bizarre, even for him. He was bound to get trapped on one of those crazy adventures of his and need it to escape. But then he had produced a lime green fez from his pocket and placed it firmly on his head before declaring with a grin he was ready to leave.

That's when she burst into laughter, whipping a gun out and shooting it off his head. She was expecting his mardy child routine but instead he grabbed her hands, pulling her closer before whispering in her ear, 'oh, River Song, you bad, bad girl.' Then he had released one of her hands, and led her out of the TARDIS.

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><p>She gazed and the colourful curtain of lights that swirled and danced, making its way along the fields as the towers sung. She looked beside her at The Doctor, just as one singular teardrop rolled down his cheek, she could see his jaw quiver as a flurry of tears streamed down his face. His eyes weren't focused, she knew he wasn't crying because of the song, but she also knew the doctor and even though she tried, he shook his head. He wouldn't tell her. Of course not. <em>Spoilers<em>. And as she saw the last tear roll down his face so slowly, so reluctantly, she couldn't help but wonder if this was more than just an unexpected visit. He turned to her, looked at her, looking into her with such piercing eyes, and whispered into her ear. Just three words. Three words he had never said before, not once. Then he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her, so gently, so tender. She felt another tear slide down his face. The song ended. The towers were silent.

He stood up, looking across the fields for one last moment before he helped her up. He held her hand all the way back to the TARDIS, all the way back through the corners and streets and alleys as they ran, and not once did he let go. They got to her door and he just looked at her for a while... memorizing every last detail. He looked into her eyes, whispered two words, 'goodbye, River.' He held her again and kissed her. He began to walk away but stopped, walked back towards her and held his face close to hers. His mouth brushing her ear. That was when he uttered that one word to her, that one word that nobody knew. His name. And then he was gone.

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><p><em>Everybody knows that everybody dies, and nobody knows it like the doctor. He wasn't just saying goodbye to her. He wasn't crying because he knew what would happen to River. He was old, and he knew that she survived, that she made it. It was because he knew it was time. His time. His song was ending. Tonight. Forever. And then that would be it. He was going to miss it. The running. The flirting. The curls. The TARDIS. But he knew every song must end, eventually. Because everybody dies. And no matter how fast you go and how far you get, you can't run forever.<em>

He slowly turned the corner. It was dark, suffocatingly so. There were no lights on in any houses nearby. Far into the distance he could see the dreary orange glow of a streetlamp and beneath it he saw the lines of rain catching the light. It was silent apart from a tiny patter of rain hitting the cold concrete floor. A cloaked hooded figure stood at the end of the road. Familiar and yet so unfamiliar at the same time. The black cloak swished in the bitter wind and the deep hood and lack of light obscured the face. He could only make out the glitter of two eyes. The figure stood watching, unmoving for a while; silent silhouette. The Doctor reached into his jacket for his sonic screwdriver, and then remembered. It was Rivers now. And it was_ his_ time. He couldn't run anymore. He knew he would have to face this one day. He let out a shallow rattle of a sigh. He could see the arm of the cloak rise, to point at him. Beneath the thick cuff he could see a dull glint of silver. The doctor remained unmoving as the familiar silhouette began to move silently towards him. Closer and closer and closer.

'It's okay', the doctors voice rang out, echoing into the street, 'It's okay, I know it's you.'

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><p><em>"When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it'll never end. But however hard you try you can't run forever. Everybody knows that everybody dies and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark if he ever, for one moment, accepts it."<em>


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